Neven’s Recipes, Irish Stew and Mary Flahavan’s oatmeal cookies – Marty in the Morning @rte lyricfm

I never tire of a bowl of steaming hot stew. It’s the attention to detail that makes this dish one of the world’s great classics. This is my version that I have developed over the years. It’s a meal in itself, but for a special celebration, try serving it buffet style with bowls of turnip mash, colcannon and maybe even some glazed parsnips and carrots and watch your guests’ faces light up!

SERVES 6–8

  • 900g (2lb) boneless lamb neck or shoulder, trimmed and cut into cubes
  • 900ml (1½ pints) lamb or chicken stock
  • 50g (2oz) pearl barley, washed
  • 225g (8oz) potatoes, cut into chunks
  • 225g (8oz) carrots, thickly sliced
  • 225g (8oz) leeks, well trimmed and
  • thickly sliced
  • 225g (8oz) pearl onions, peeled
  • 100g (4oz) rindless piece of smoked
  • bacon, diced
  • 2 fresh thyme sprigs
  • sea salt and freshly ground
  • black pepper
  • chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley,
  • to garnish
  • turnip mash with crispy bacon and onion, to serve (optional)
  • colcannon, to serve

1 Place the boneless lamb pieces in a large heavy-based pan or flameproof casserole and pour over the stock. Bring to the boil, then skim off any scum from the surface and then stir in

the barley. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 50 minutes, until slightly reduced and the lamb is almost tender.

2 Add the potatoes to the lamb with the carrots, leeks, pearl onions, smoked bacon and thyme and simmer for 30 minutes, until the lamb and vegetables are completely tender but still holding their shape. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3 Put the stew straight onto the table and scatter over the parsley. Serve dishes of the turnip mash with crispy bacon and onion and colcannon alongside and allow everyone to help themselves.

Oatmeal, Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies

This recipe was given to me by Mary Flahavan. I like it so much that we now make it up in batches and keep them in Kilner jars in our rooms for guests in case they’re feeling a bit peckish after a long journey but don’t want to ruin their dinner.

  • 275g (10oz) Flahavan’s
  • Progress Oatlets
  • 225g (8oz) butter, at room
  • temperature
  • 150g (5oz) caster sugar
  • 100g (4oz) plain flour, plus a little
  • extra for dusting
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 100g (4oz) dried cranberries,
  • roughly chopped
  • 100g (4oz) white chocolate,
  • finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Blend the oatlets in a food processor until quite fine. Add the butter, sugar, flour and baking soda and blend again until the dough just comes together.

Tip into a bowl and beat in the cranberries and white chocolate. Shape into 12 even-sized balls and arrange on the lined baking sheets well spaced apart, then squash them down with the palm of your hand to about a 4cm (1 ½in) thickness. Bake for 15–20 minutes, until they are a pale golden colour and soft to the touch. Remove from the oven and leave to cool and harden on the sheets for a minute, then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool for a few minutes before tucking in with a nice cup of tea.

.@nevenmaguire Rustic Pear and Hazelnut Tarts @BordBia

These tarts are absolutely perfect for a relaxed Sunday lunch. They can be made in the morning and left covered with cling film in the fridge. Pop them into the oven before sitting down to the main course and they will be in about half an hour.

Serves 4

Cooking time:

Preparation time:

Ingredients

  • 5 firm ripe pears
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 heaped tbsp light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 50g skinned hazelnuts, roughly chopped
  • 1 egg, beaten, to glaze
  • Icing sugar, to dust
  • Crème fraîche, to serve
  • Honey, to serve

For the Pastry

  • 225g (8oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • pinch of fine salt
  • 150g (5oz) butter, chilled and diced
  • 3 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

To Cook

To make the pastry, place the flour in a large bowl with the salt and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, then bring the pastry together with the egg (it may also need 1 tablespoon of cold water if it’s a little dry). Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes (or overnight is fine).

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas mark 4). Line 2 large baking sheets with non-stick baking paper.

Peel, core and slice the pears and put them in a bowl. Toss them in the lemon juice, then toss with the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon.

On a lightly floured board, cut the pastry into 4 even-sized pieces. Roll each piece of pastry out to a rough circle about 15cm (6in) in diameter and no more than 5mm (¼in) thick. Carefully transfer to the lined baking sheets. Arrange the pears in the middle of each one and scatter the hazelnuts on top, leaving a 2.5cm (1in) border. Using the sides of the baking paper to help lift the pastry, fold the sides up and over the pears. Brush with the beaten egg and bake for 30–40 minutes, until the tarts are cooked through and golden.

Serving Suggestions

Dust with icing sugar and arrange on plates. Add dollops of crème fraîche and a drizzle of honey to each one to serve.

 

Chicken Parmigiana recipe by @nevenmaguire @dunnesstores

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6J7tvkLtD4/?igsh=MWR2cHJyeGlzbW5kMg==

dunnesstores

#ad | Looking for the perfect chicken dinner? Try this Chicken Parmigiana recipe from our @simplybetterds brand ambassador @nevenmaguire find the full recipe below and shop the ingredients in your local @dunnesstores

Ingredients (Serves 4)
2 Simply Better Irish Corn Fed Chicken Fillets
2 Simply Better Irish Free Range Corn Fed Large eggs
2 Tbsp. Simply Better Organic Irish Jersey Milk
150g Simply Better Rustic Ciabatta Breadcrumbs
50g Simply Better Parmigiano Reggiano grated, plus extra to garnish
2 Tbsp. Simply Better Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tub Simply Better Italian Mozzarella, cut into 4 slices
1 Jar Simply Better Italian Tomato & Mascarpone Pasta Sauce
25g Butter
75g Plain Flour
A small handful of fresh basil leaves

To serve:
300g Simply Better Italian Bronze Die Spaghetti, cooked
Mixed Leaf Salad

DIRECTIONS
1. Place the chicken on a chopping board and cut each fillet in half lengthways. Spread them out and cover with parchment paper, then bash with a rolling pin until they are about 1cm thick.

2. Put the flour in a dish and season generously with salt and pepper. Put the eggs in a separate dish with the milk and season, then beat lightly with a fork. Put the breadcrumbs and Parmesan into a third dish, stirring to combine. Dust each chicken escalope in the seasoned flour, then dip into the beaten eggs and finally coat it in the breadcrumbs. Arrange on a plate.

3. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas mark 4).

4. Heat the oil and butter in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the escalope’s for 2 minutes on each side, until crisp and golden. Pour half of the tomato sauce on a baking tray or into a baking dish, then add the chicken. Spoon a little of the sauce on each one and top with a piece of mozzarella and a spoon of pesto. Transfer to the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes, until the mozzarella is bubbling.

5. Garnish the chicken with some fresh basil and serve straight to the table with a bowl of spaghetti and a bowl of salad so everyone can help themselves.

Neven’s Recipes – Red berry smoothie & MacNean special porridge – Marty in the Morning @rte lyricfm

Smoothie

I normally use frozen berries straight out of the freezer so that you don’t have to use any ice cubes, but it can be hard on the blades of your liquidiser. However, in light of recent health scares, you might want to follow the FSAI’s advice to boil imported frozen berries for 1 minute, or even better, freeze fresh berries when there is a glut of them in the summer or buy Irish berries. Smoothies can be made up to 2 hours in advance and kept in the fridge, then just given a good stir before serving them.

MAKES ABOUT 1.2 LITRES (2 PINTS)

  • 500g (1lb 2 oz) fResh or frozen berries, such as a mixture of strawberries, raspberries, redcurrants and tayberries
  • 2 bananas, peeled
  • 125g (4½oz) natural yogurt
  • 500ml (18fl oz) raspberry and cranberry juice
  • handful of ice cubes (optional)

1 Place the berries and bananas in a liquidiser with the yogurt and juice. Process for 1 minute, until smooth. Alternatively, you can put everything into a large measuring jug and blitz with a hand-held blender, moving it up and down until smooth.

2 Half-fill tall glasses with ice cubes, if using, and pour in the red berry smoothie to serve.

MACNEAN SPECIAL PORRIDGE WITH HONEY AND CREAM

This is one of our signature breakfast dishes. It’s amazing how many people going to bed at night tell me that they can’t wait to taste the porridge! On cold winter mornings, it gets you off to a good start and takes no more than 10 minutes to prepare.

Serves 4

  • 100g (4oz) porridge oats (organic if possible)
  • 300ml (1/2 pint) milk (plus a little extra if necessary)
  • 4 tbsp clear honey
  • 4 tbsp Irish Mist
  • 150ml (1/4 pint) cream

Place the porridge oats, milk and 150ml (1/4 pint) water in a heavy-based pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 8–10 minutes, until the mixture has slightly thickened, stirring all the time. It’s important that the porridge has a nice soft dropping consistency, so add a little more milk if you think it needs it.

To serve, spoon the porridge into warmed bowls. Drizzle each one with some honey and Irish Mist and serve with plenty of cream poured on top.

COOK AHEAD

One of the last things we do at night in the restaurant is steep the porridge oats in the milk and water in the fridge, as leaving them overnight makes them lovely and soft so that they cook much quicker. They can also be made the night before and reheated gently in a pan on the hob.